The present invention is directed to a toy vehicle and, in particular, to a toy vehicle whose physical behavior and operating characteristics can be selectively altered by a child playing with the toy vehicle, preferably by moving a simulated gear-shift lever, which permits the toy vehicle to perform multiple actions depending on the position of the operative components as selected by the shift lever.
Toy vehicles such as toy automobiles which simulate the appearance and operation of real automobiles and which are capable of being self-propelled by an internal motor or the like have become popular with children of all ages. One such type of toy vehicle includes what has been commonly known as a pull-back motor. In such vehicles, the rear wheels of the toy vehicle are coupled to a motor which includes a spring which is tightened as the rear wheels are rolled backwards along a surface. In such fashion, the spring becomes tightened so that when the vehicle is released, the spring will relax and transfer its energy via torque to the rear wheels causing them to rotate in a forward direction to propel the toy vehicle in a forward direction. Mechanisms of the type under discussion are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,156 and 3,798,831. Other than being capable of changing the acceleration and speed of such toy vehicles depending upon the amount of energy stored in the spring, only one type of action, namely forward action on all four wheels, is possible.
John Maxim, one of the present co-inventors, has invented a multi-action toy vehicle having a simulated gear-shift lever, which forms the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/527,624, filed Aug. 29, 1983. In a first embodiment as disclosed and claimed in that application, the lever selectively actuates weights which are pivotally supported on the vehicle chassis to alter the center of gravity thereof. This action causes the vehicle to perform differently depending on the selected position of the gear-shift lever. The description in Ser. No. 06/527,624 regarding the placing of projections on the pivotable weights constitutes the joint invention of the present inventors.
The present invention as described and claimed herein was developed to improve the multi-action toy vehicle of John Maxim as claimed in the earlier application.